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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM IN THE WORKS

Early rendering for proposed American Writers Museum, Chicago, set to open March 2017

GUEST BLOG--Via Strand
Magazine interviewer Andrew Gulli.

Questions and Answers with president of the
American Writers Museum Malcolm O’Hagan with the inside scoop on how goes the project.

STRAND: Tell us about the American Writers
Museum?

MO: The American Writers Museum will be a
place where visitors enjoy an intimate encounter with our greatest writers and
their works. The multimedia interactive exhibits will draw visitors into the
lives of writers, the creative process will be examined, and visitors will be
challenged to write their own stories. The museum will show where and how
writers lived and worked, leavened with interesting backstories. Visitors will
be able to accompany roving writers such as Kerouac and Steinbeck on their
literary journeys, and “visit” writers’ homes and fictional sites such as Tara,
Cannery Row, and The House of the Seven Gables. A Word Waterfall will enchant
visitors; literary quizzes and word games will entertain. Those who visit the
museum will be inspired to write or to run to their local library to check out
the reading list they compiled during their visit.

Malcolm O'Hagan

Q: When will it be open to the public?

A: The museum is scheduled to open to the
public in March 2017.

Q: Who had this idea and my next question
should be, why haven’t we tried anything like this before?

A: The idea was sparked by the Dublin
Writers Museum, which celebrates the great Irish writers.A couple of attempts
were made in the past to create some form of writers museum, but they were not
successful for different reasons. Everything has its time, and now is a great
time for the American Writers Museum. Technology is changing the way we write
and read, and technology makes it possible to tell the stories of our writers
in engaging interactive exhibits.

Q: What was your biggest challenge?

A: Funding. There are always many worthy
projects competing for available funds.

Q: How was this funded?

A: Funding to date has come largely from
private and public foundations and from individuals. We have also received
grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Chicago Community
Trust, and several corporations.

Q: How much input did you get from your
advisory board?

A: We have received excellent guidance from
members of our National Advisory Council and extensive input from our
curatorial team. We are relying on the diverse experiences and opinions of
leading literary and museum experts to ensure that we meet visitor expectations.

Q: Is this something that will appeal to
kids?

A: Kids are our future and we have to
inspire them to read and write. In addition to a dedicated Children’s Gallery,
there will be features throughout the museum that will appeal to young people.

Q: How has the response been so far?

A: Almost without exception, the response
has been enthusiastic. Surprise that an institution celebrating great writing
does not already exist leads immediately to cheerleading as evidenced by the
many accolades posted at our website.

Q: Share some local legends who will be
highlighted in the museum collection.

A: Think of the AWM as an American Writers
Hall of Fame. All the greats will be featured there.

Q: Do you plan on having live events,
music, etc.?

A: There will be on-going programming at
the museum and sponsored by the museum at other venues.

Q: Anything dedicated to mystery authors?

A: You will have to visit to find out!

Q: If you had a literary legend you could
have a coffee with, who would that be?

A: Most literary legends preferred
something stronger than coffee! I would be delighted to spend an evening with
any of them.

G: Tell us about the building that houses
the museum?

A: The AWM will be housed in an existing
building at 180 North Michigan Avenue. The building is strategically located
for the AWM on one of the busiest blocks on Michigan Ave, adjacent to
Millennium Park and next to the Chicago Cultural Center. It is close to a
number of large hotels, making it readily accessible for out-of-town visitors.
The AWM will occupy the second floor. Vivid signage on Lake and Michigan will
attract people to the museum.

Q: Will the museum house a library?

A: The museum will have books associated
with various exhibits, but there will not be a library. People go to museums go
to look and listen rather than read. As visitors move through the museum, they
will be able to use an electronic pen to tap on books they would like to read
or writers they would like to learn more about. The information will be waiting
on their computer when they get home. We hope that they will go to their
library to check out the books they put on their list.

Q: Did the estates of authors have some
input on how the exhibits were presented?

A: We have had input from directors of our
Affiliate Author homes but not from estates at this point